Apparatus for casting hollow and other ware of china and other materials.



W. STUBBS.

APPARATUS FOR GASTING HOLLOW AND OTHER WARL's OF CHINA AND OTHERMATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1909.

Patented Sept. 14. 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ANDREW. a. cnmm cu. Puwu-umuaanums. WASHINGTON. n. c.

W. STUBBS.

APPARATUS FOR CASTING HOLLOW AND OTHER WARES OF GHINA AND OTHERMATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1909.

934,231, Patented Sept. 14,1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ANDREW. uv 0mm! 00. mm-urmaivxm. wnsumtuu. v. c

W. STUBBS.

APPARATUS FOR OASTING HOLLOWRND OTHER WARES 0F GHINA AND OTHERMATERIALS.

APBLIOATIOR' FILED MAR. 11, 1909.

934,231 Patented Sept. 14. 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Ammiwv 8. 6mm 00.. PHOTO-UTNOGRAFNERB WASHINGTON. D. a

w. STUBBS. ,APPARATUS FOR CASTING HOLLOW AND OTHER WARES 0F GHINA ANDOTHER MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED MAL-11, 1909.

Patented Sept. 14, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

ANDREW. a. GRAHAM 0o. Pumo-Lnucanwwzas, wnsumcmwo, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT onmon.

WILLIAM STUBBS, F STOKE-UPON-TRENT, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR CASTING HOLLOW AND OTHER WARE OF CHINA AND OTHERMATERIALS.

Application filed March 11, 1909.

and other Materials, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved machine or apparatus for castinghollow pottery ware of china, porcelain, or earthenware such as cups,jugs, and similar vessels,

1 the object being to provide a machine which is easy to operate andmanipulate both in charging it with the molds in which the objects areto be cast and in removing suchmolds with the cast objects, a furtherobject being to obviate the necessity for the use of pumps or the likefor returning the surplus slip back to an elevated tank.

My invention consists essentially of a frame or frames adapted to berotated about a horizontal axis, means for giving to such frame orframes, a step-by-step motion to enable the molds to be fed thereto andremoved' therefrom, to enable the slip to be fed to the molds and toallow the latter time to absorb sufhcient of the moisture in the slip tocast the ware, means to hold the slip, means for controlling the passageof the slip from the holding means to the mold, means for holding themolds, means for tipping or turning the molds to remove the surplus slipand means for agitating the slip in the holding means.

My invention will be fully described with reference to the followingdrawings in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevation with part of the trough for holdingtheslip removed to show the internal mechanism, Fig. 2 end elevation of themachine, Fig. 3 section of the frame for holding the molds, Fig. 4sectional end elevation of the machine, Fig. 5 sectional elevationshowing a form of valve for controlling the passage of the slip from theholding tank to the molds, drawn to an enlarged scale, Fig. 6 partialside elevation showing means for operating each slip valveindependently, drawn to an enlarged scale and Fi 7 plan partly insection, of the combined meansfor operating the valves eitherSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 14, 1909.

Serial No. 482,799.

simultaneously or independently and Fig. 8 view of mold detail.

In carrying out my invention I provide a suitable frame a preferablyconsisting of two end frames of circular character which are bracedtogether by stay rods or cross rails Z) and supported upon stationarycircular frames 0 such stationary frames being finally supported uponend frames 0 mounted upon a suitable bed or floor. I may interposebetween the rotatable frame. antifriction bowls or rollers which may beeither j ournaled in the fixed circular frames or may have pivot pinspassed through them and through links 9 so forming an endless chain of acomparatively frictionless charac ter which can move along with thecircular frames, 0, if required. In either case the bowls are preferablyflanged as indicated in the drawings. I

Between the frames at I mount, on brackets, pivots h carrying moldboxes, frames or troughs 2' which are adapted to always retain bygravitation a horizontal position about such pivots during the greaterportion of the rotation of the frame a of the apparatus. The mold boxesor frames, each, preferably, consist of a board capable of being slid inand out of channel brackets j, in which they can be retained in normalworking position by turn catches in.

Z indicates molds which are made of porous plaster or a plaster ormaterial of an absorbent character, as will be well understood bypotters. Any suitable number of molds may be arranged in each board orplate and may be secured in position by rubber or other flexibleprojections which engage with the upper edges of the molds. Then ofrubber I prefer these projections to be in the form of rubber disks wecarried by spring arms a the rear ends of which are secured to a frame aattached to the bracket carrying the mold box. The rollers bear on theupper edges of the molds and securely retain them in position butdo notinterfere with the insertion in and taking out of the boards carryingthe molds.

The means for holding the slip consist of a chamber or trough 0 of astationary character and suitably supported, such trough being open atthe top to enable the slip to be fed thereto but particularly to allowthe surplus slip, after casting, to be discharged into it. The base ordischarge side of the trough I the form of a long arm 6 which, as willbe consists of a sieve through which the slip may filter into a secondtrough 79 below it mounted upon the edges of the main slip trough 9which is secured to the stationary frame of the machine, the secondtrough 2) being also provided with a sieve to enable the slip to befiltered prior to its final discharge into the bottom trough. Thesethree troughs "irtually form the whole of the slipholding means and arein reality one chamber with sieve devices to filter the slip. its lowerside the bottom trough is provided with a number of valves 1"corresponding in number to that of the molds in each supporting board,these valves being designed to enable the slip to be discharged into themolds Z, such a discharge taking place as each trough or mold framereaches a point immediately below the slip trough of the machine. Thevalve seatings and valves may be of any suitable character found mosteffective for the purpose. In the drawings I have shown conical valvesfitting into corresponding seatings secured in a liquid-tight manner atthe base of the slip trough. The valves may be operated automaticallyduring the rotation of the frame abut at present I prefer to operatethem by hand either all of them simultaneously or separately. For thispurpose the valves are secured to rods 8 which extend upwardly andfreely through holes formed in an operating bar 25 secured to levers a,the other ends of which are fixed upon a shaft '0 one end of whichcarries an operating lever to by which the valves can be opened orclosed. On either side of the operating rod t and on the valve spindlesare springs 00 adjusted by nuts y so as to enable the valves to beoperated in an elastic manner and enable each of them to give somewhatin case any obstruction is found in any of the valve seatings. Above thebar t is a second fixed bar .2 carrying set-screws which form steps anddetermine the upward stroke or lift of the valve spindles. By thearrangement described the whole of the valves can be operatedsimultaneously so as to allow the slip to pass into the porous molds.As, for many reasons, the valves may not allow of the slip to flow inequal quantities in the same time it is desirable to provide means toenable each valve to be operated independently so that it may be closedwhen the particular mold it is used in connection with is quite full orto be opened to enable a little more slip to be passed into the moldwhen the latter is not quite full. For this purpose the arrangementshown in Figs. 6 and 7 is employed. That is to say, I employ a lever apivoted to the rail or frame through which the valve spindles are passednamely to the bar t. One end of each lever is forked to pass under oneof the nuts on each valve spindle while the other end is extended inseen from Fig. 7, passes toward the side of the machine near to thelever w which operates all the valves simultaneously. Each arm 6 may benormally held in a raised position by a spring. By depressing the longarm of each lever each valve can be opened while on releasing the leverthe valve automatically closes. Immediately below the valves andpreferably at the exterior of the slip trough I arrange in a fixed frameone or a plurality of series of sieves 0 through which the slip is againfiltered just prior to its discharge into the molds.

The rotation of the main frame a of the apparatus is, preferably, anintermittent one to allow of the insertion and withdrawal of the moldframes 6 from the brackets supporting them and also to enable therequisite quantity of slip to be passed into the molds, as hereinbeforedescribed, and, further, to allow time for the molds to absorb a portionof the moisture from the slip to form a layerof clay prior to thedischarge of the surplus slip back again into the upper slip trough 0.In order to effect such discharge the brackets j are each provided withan extending arm (Z adapted to come in contact with a stationaryprojection preferably in the form of a fixed cam surface f anti-frictionrollers or bowls being carried by the arm if necessary for ease ofmovement. The engagement of the parts referred to causes the mold frameto be tilted in the manner shown in the upper portion of Fig. 2, so thatthe slip runs out of the molds into the slip trough 0 and after passingthe projection f, the mold frames each right themselves to thehorizontal position as shown in the center and bottom sides of Fig. 2.

The intermittent motion of the main frame a may be effected by suitablemeans, such means being designed to rotate the frame a predeterminedportion of a revolution at each stroke. In order to effect this I employsimple means consisting of a lever the rear end of which is pivoted to asuitable stationary part of the supporting frame while its free endextends forward toward the front of the machine and has pivoted to it apawl h adapted to engage with studs or pro jections j on the frame'athus forming a ratchet device. The lever g is shown at Fig. 2 in itshighestor top position with the pawl 7L engaging with one of the studs7' so that when the lever g is pulled down, the mold carrying frame a ispartly rotated. The lower end of the pawl 7L1 is notched at 71, toengage with one of the studs j on the rotatable mold carrying frame a.When the frame a has been partly rotated or moved one step, the pawl his caused by its own weight to leave the stud j when the lever and pawl7L are free to move upward in their highest position the latter to againengage with another stud j to enable the frame to be moved another step.By this means a step by step motion is given to the mold carrying frame.The lever may be counter-weighted at the opposite side of its center asat the weight being preferably adjustable or a spring may be employed toreturn the lever to the top posit-ion. Each movement of the lever bringsa mold frame to the lowermost position directly beneath the axis of theframe a and in correct position to enable the molds to receive the slipas before described. The movement of the lever is taken advantage of tosimultaneously effect a vibratory movement of the sifting trough 7)which, for this purpose, is provided with a projecting arm m adapted tonormally rest on the teeth of a ratchet wheel 12 journaled on a studsecured to the side of the main slip trough g, the boss of such ratchetwheel having mounted on it a lever 0 connected by links 29 to the armsof a bell crank lever g the uppermost link being, in turn, coupled tothe operating lever 9 The movement of the latter and the links connectedto it operates a weighted and pivoted pawl r to rotate the ratchet wheel12 thus vibrating the trough p by giving it an up and down motion suchas will effect the movement of and filtering of the slip. The movementof the lever 9 also effects a further operation namely the agitation ofthe slip in the bottom trough 9. To this end the bell crank lever g issecured to the end of a shaft 8 journaled in the ends of the trough g,to which is secured a number of arms t These arms are given areciprocatory motion forward and backward in the slip trough so as tokeep the slip in a constantly agitated condition to prevent the heavieringredients or sediment settling.

At a suitable point after the discharge of the surplus slip, the roughupper edge of each cast vessel may be automatically removed by arevolving scraper device suitably supported and driven, or such roughedges may be removed in the ordinary way well known to potters eitherprior to the mold frames being removed from the machine or immediatelyafter. Or I may employ instead of the rubber disks carried by springarms as hereinbefore described for keeping the molds in the frames, ahinged cover U1, as indicated in Fig. 8, such cover being pivoted to themold carrying frame. This cover is provided with a number of rings amade of either porcelain, glass, or polished metal let into the cover UThe hole in each ring is preferably counter-sunk and is in axial linewith the mold, the bottom portion of the cover or ring resting snugly onthe top of the mold and forming a tight joint therewith. A spring catcha may be employed to hold the cover in position thus the molds may befilled quite to the top or a little above the bottom side of the rings2%, the latter forming a finished edge to the cast ware. When the moldframes are removed from the machine the covers u are first turned up outof the way and any surplus slip removed from them, though usually suchslip runs away when the mold frames are tilted as hereinbeforedescribed.

The operation of the machine is as follows :Filtered slip is run intothe bottom trough g, the slip valves being meanwhile closed. Therevoluble frame a, together with the pivoted mold-carriers 2' and moldsZ, is revolved step by step, and when one mold-carrier arrives at thebottom of the machine under the slip valves, the latter are lifted toallow the slip to pass to and fill the molds. This being done the valvesare closed again and the frame a again moved forward so as to bringanother set of molds beneath the valves. This operation is effected inconnection with each series of molds and by the time each set of moldsreaches position A, Fig. 2, the mold frame is tilted so as to dischargethe surplus slip into the upper trough through which it may pass to thefiltering devices and back again into the bottom trough for re-use. Theentire discharge of slip is effected by the time each series of moldsreaches position B, when each mold frame on the next move ment rightsitself to the horizontal position and by the time further movement iseffected to bring it to the starting point the mold frame with the castware is removed and a frame with empty molds substituted when the samecycle of operations is gone through. The complete movement of the framea from the point at which the molds are filled with slip to the point atwhich the surplus quantity of the latter is discharged is timed toenable the requisite absorption of moisture to take place to form therequisite thickness of ware.

I would have it understood that the machine may be driven by power toeffect the requisite step-by-step motion to enable the operationsreferred to, to be effected and that, a virtually continuous motion ofthe frame may be employed, if required, I would further have itunderstood that I do not confine my invention to the exact detailshereinbefore described, as such may be modified without departing fromthe essential and characteristic features of my invention. Nor do Iconfine myself to the casting of hollow ware such as cups, and jugs orthe like, as the machine may be employed for casting any other ware itis capable of dealing with.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. In a casting-machine, the combination, with a stationary support,of a revoluble frame journaled in the said support, moldcarriers pivotedat the periphery of the said frame, and a trough for holding sliparranged inside the said frame and provided with valves for filling themolds at the lower part of the frame, said trough being arranged toreceive the surplus slip from the molds when the said mold-carriers aretilted over at the upper part of the frame.

2. In a casting-machine, the combination, with a stationary support, ofarevoluble frame journaled in the said support, moldcarriers pivoted atthe periphery of the said frame, a trough for holding slip arrangedinside the said frame and provided with discharge-valves for filling themolds at the lower part of the frame, and trip-mechanism for tilting themold-carriers automatically at the upper part of the frame to permit thesurplus slip to run from the molds into the said trough.

3. In a casting machine, the combination, with a stationary support, ofa revoluble frame journaled in the said support, moldearriers pivoted atthe periphery of the said frame, ratchet-mechanism provided with anoperating-lever for revolving the said frame step by step, and a troughfor holding slip arranged inside the said frame and provided with valvesfor filling the molds at the lower part of the frame and receivingsurplus slip from the molds when the mold-carriers are tilted over atthe upper part of the frame.

I. In a casting-machine, the combination, with a stationary support, ofa revoluble frame journ-aled in the said support, moldcarriers pivotedat the periphery of the said frame, a trough for holding slip arrangedinside the said frame and provided with discharge-valves for filling themolds at the lower part of the frame, and agitating devices arranged inthe said trough and provided with driving mechanism which operates themautomatically as the said frame is revolved.

5. In a casting-machine, the combination, with a stationary support, ofa revoluble frame journaled in the said support, moldcarriers pivoted atthe periphery of the said,

frame, a trough for holding slip arranged inside the said frame andformed of superposed sections one of which is movable and provided witha filtering screen, and driving devices for oscillating the movablesection of the trough as the said frame is revolved. In testimonywhereof I have hereto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

IVILLIAM STUBBS. V i tnesses I. BENTON, JOHN II. COPESTAKE.

